Press-head for stuffing machines



Jan. 20, 1925.

O. C. SCHMIDT PRESS HEAD FOR STUFFING MACHINES Original Filed Dec. 29, 1920 /mxehton iii; W,

' m Q TM.

Patented Jan. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR C. SCHMIDT, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE CINCINNATI BUTCHERS SUPPLY COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

IRESS-I-IE AD FOR STULFEING- MACHINES.

Original application filed December 29, 1920, Serial No. 433.792.

February 13, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR C. SCHMIDT, a citizen of the United States, residing in Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Press-Heads for Stuffing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to press-heads for stufling mechanism employable for instance in stuffing sausage casings.

My present invention is a division of my copending application for patent on improvements in stuffing mechanism, filed in the United States Patent Oflice December 29, 1920, Serial No. 433,792, in which latter application the press head herein shown, described and claimed is also shown and decribed. my present application being a continuation of my aforesaid original copending application.

In stuffing mechanism of the character of that shown, described and claimed in my aforesaid copending application, a presshead is employed, so arranged that pressure is exerted upon one side of the press-head for communicating pressure to the plastic material in the cylinder at the other side of the press-head to cause the plastic material to be exuded or pressed through suitable nozzles into sausage casings, the press-head being permitted to descend by gravity to its initial position when the filling operation has been completed, or the plastic material has been pressed from the cylinder.

In mechanism of this character the presshead is operable in the cylinder which contains the plastic material, and acts directly upon the plastic material, to exert pressure theron for expressing the plastic material.

In order that there may be no waste of plastic material, and in order that none of the compressed fluid, such as air or water, which forms the pressing medium, shall leak past the press-head into the plastic material. which would thereby form detrimental fiuid pockets or air pockets in the plastic material, or in the sausage casings, or burst the sausage casings, or act detrimentally on the plastic material, and in order to provide a press-head of simple construction. I have constructed a press-head which by simple means and few parts of Divided and. this application filed Serial No. 618,877.

simple and strong construction coact with the cylinder to form a close sliding joint between the press-head and the inner surface of the cylinder during the pressing action of the press-head, sufficient relief of pressure between the press-head and the inner surface of the cylinder being provided by the relief of pressure upon the presshead, to permit retraction of the press-head by gravity, when such retraction is desired and the actuating pressure upon the press head is relieved.

It is the object of my invention, further, to provide a press-head comprising relatively axially movable sections substantially telescopingly arranged and having an annular outer rabbet between them, in which an annular elastic packing tube is received, so arranged that axial movement between said, sections to decrease the space between them will cause compression of said elastic tube in axial direction and enlargement of the same in radial directions, to more compactly fill the annular space between the inner annular wall of said outer annular rabbet and the inner surface of the cylinder, in order to form a close slide-joint between said packing and said inner surface of the cylinder; and, further, to provide said sections with annular outer flanges and the respective ends of said elastic tube with inner annular flanges received within said outer annular flanges to maintain a close joint between the ends of said tube and said respective sections; and the invention will be further readily understood from the following description and claim, and from the drawings in which latter:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a stuffing machine embodying my inevention, the cylinder of the stufling machine being partly broken away for better illustration.

Fig. 2 is axial vertical section of my improved device, taken in the plane of the line 22 of Fig. 1, and showing the members of the press-head in extended or separated relation; and,

Fig. 8 is a similar View, showing the parts of the press-head in relatively compressed relation.

The plastic material, instanced as chopped and prepared sausage meat, or, as it is called, meat dough, exemplified. at 11, is placed at one side of the press-head, shown at 12, in a head.

5 nozzle or nozzles, oncfot which is shown at l4 in'a cover hinged to the cylinder by a hinge 16 and clamped to the cylinder by a clamp 17. The nozzle communicates with the space in the cylinder above the press The pressure required depends in great measure upon the consistency of the meat dough orplastic material, and is at times very great, 'I

I: have found it desirable to provide a" simple pressihead employing few parts, and provlded with a packing so arranged that "its diameter willautomatically decrease "upon retraction of the press-head, and auto- 20 inaticallyincrease "in simple manner upon movement'otthe press-he'ad'in opposite direction,forforming a" close joint between the press-head and the inner annularsurt'ace ot the walloft th'e'oylinder, to prevent leaking of material being pressedyor the juices "thereof, 'and ot the'fluid o't the pressuremedium, past the'pressehead, or into the ingtei'io1' of the press-head, in which latter case fthe' pressureoftlie pressure medium upon theinner surtace of the elastic tube would eauseathe press-head to stick in the cylinder and cause derangement between the parts of the press-head, while the leaking of any of ,the plastic material or juices thereof into the interior of the press-head would cause an'unsanitary condition.

. The press-head'in its preferred form com- T ri.ses'anupperfsection 21 and a lower section 22. 'One of these sections, shown as the -10 section 22,'is provided with an annular rabhetj23 tor forming an inner cylinder 24 bt unrarying diameter, about which an elastic ,tube 25"is received inthe annular rabbet, for being supported by said' inner cylinder in suc'lrmannerthat the inside diameter of said tube remains constant. This tube is an elastic compressible and extensible tube. This elastic tube ispreferablyiof rubber or of a composition having rubber as a base.

; .jThe opposite sectionof'tlie presshead is provided with an annula'rfflange 26, tl1e in- -D'Q1'faC0eQii which 1s an annular cylindrical face" which is arranged ,to be telescopingly received about the outer peripheral -'cyli11-' C l ala-fac 6O a,fla11ge 27,forming one of the end-walls of the rabbet, The annular flange 26 is pro- ;videdwith alrouter annular lip 28, and'the flange 27f is, provided with an outer annular lip'29; respectively received in annular rab- 66 Ibets 31, 3 2,atgthe outer faces of the respectire ends of the annular elastic tube, to form annular extensions 33,34, at the respective ends of said elastic tube received in the annular grooves within, the annular lips,,28, 29, termed by said lips.

The inner peripheral faces of the lips 28, '29, and the outer peripheral faces of the annular extensions 34, are respectively of cylindrical term. The opposed ends of said lips and the end walls of the rabbets 31, 32, as well as the opposite ends of said extensions 33, 34,, ot the tube, and the bottoms of the annular grooves 'in which said' extensions are received, are squai'ewiththe axis of the cylinder, being located in planes parallel with each other and perpendicular to said axis. A

Direct endwise pressure is therefore exerted upon said flexible tube, in lines parallel with the axis of the press-head, by approach between the lower and upper sections of the press-heath the joints between the respective'ends ot' saidtube and said respective sertions being; contimiously tight joints, so" as to prevent the passage, of the material being pressed, or juices thereof. or of-lhe pressnrefluid, 'past said'joints into. the interior ot the pTress-head. these joints being tight thiough'outall conditions ot'movement between the sections of the press-head. and whether said sections are in extended or approached relation, as will be seen from (Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing.

The'lower section" isprovided with a recess 37, in which an enlargement 38, of the other section is arranged to' be received. Means are provided for limiting the separati'ng'mov'ement between the sections, shown accomplished by a bolt' 41 threaded into-the lower section and received through a bearing 42 in the upper section. The upper end of the bolt is located in a recess 43in the upper section. Anut 44.- is' adjustably rereived in the recess over-the b'olt. Adjust- ,i'nent otthe nut lengthwise ofsthcabolt adjuststhe extent of se'paratin movement between the sections, as will be notedby comparison between'Figs. 2 and --The upper endoit 'the bolt' and Lthe" nut have reciprocating movement inthis recess.

Contact between "the plastic material and the adjustable limiting'mcans is avoided-by providing aplug .415, having threaded engagement with .the outer end of;the wall of therecess B. A gasket"46 is clamped by "the plug againstjan annular shoulderAT formed in the recess. --The plug may he "turned by a suitable square-ended wrench received in a hole 48 of square 'cross'section in the plate.

The lower section of the press-head is shown as 'otgreater weightthan the upper section; so as 'to insure a dropping of the lower section with relation to the'n per section. -.The annular elastic tube 25 is re masses ceived about the inner wall of the rabbct 23, which forms the inner cylinder 24:, and when the sections of the press-head are in separated relation, the elastic tube will. be in elongated relation in said rabbet, with the extensions 3st, of the elastic tube still securely held in the annular grooves in the opposed walls of said sections coacting with said ends of said elastic tube, to maintain a tight joint between the respective ends of said elastic tube and the respective end sections of the press-head.

The elastic tube will in this relation preferably be within the cylindrical projection of the press-head, or compressive action thereon relieved, to permit ready sliding movement by the weight of the press-head between the outer periphery of said elastic tube and the inner surface of the cylinder.

This relation of parts is shown in Fig. 2, in which the press-head is shown in extended relation, corresponding to its descending movement, although when the parts are at their lowermost limit of movement, with the lower section supported from the bottom of the cylinder, the weight of the upper section upon the elastic tube will have a spreading effect upon the tube to aid in preventing seepage of pressure past the press-head or about the ends of the tube.

Plastic material having been placed in the cylinder above the press-head, and the cover 15 closed and clamped, pressure is supplied under the press-head through a suitable valve in a pipe 51, which latter communicates with the space under the presshead. The pressure acts against the lower face of the lower section of the press-neatl-u raising this lower section, resisted by the annular elastic tube, whereby the elastic tube is compressed in axial direction for reducing the length of said elastic tube and increasing its thickness, that is to say, its thickness and diameter are increased or spread outwardly, its inner periphery being definitely positioned by the outer periphery of the inner cylinder 24:, which is of unvarying diameter for maintaining the inside diameter of the elastic tube constant, and forcing the elastic tube into intimate contact with the inner cylindrical face of the outer cylinder, to form a close slip-joint between the presshead and the wall of the cylinder, in order to avoid passage of the pressure fluid upwardly past the elastic tube or into the press-head and passage of plastic material or its juices downwardly past the elastic tube or into the presshead.

The lateral spreading of the tube is caused solely by the compressive action thereon in axial direction, causing intimate contact between the outer periphery of the tube and the inner periphery of the cylinder, but avoiding clamping or excessive pressure between the parts. It will be understood further that as the press-head opcrates in the cylinder containing the meat dough, the elastic tube is lubricated and seasoned by the juices of said meat-dough.

W hen the tube has thus been acted on by the upward pressure on the lower section of the press-head sufliciently to support the upper section of the press-head and the weight of the plastic material thereabovo, the press-head will move upwardly, with the sections of the press-head in closer relation, and the elastic tube in spread relation, as indicated in Fig. 3. The upward movement of the press-head will force the plastic material through the nozzle.

l/Vhen the upward movement of the press head has been completed, and the pressurevalve is closed to shut off the supply of pressure and open the space in the cylinder under the press-head to the atmosphere, the lower section of the press-head will drop with relation to the upper section thereof to the limit of separation permitted by the bolt 41 and nut 44:, whereby the length of the elastic tube is again increased and its diameter is again reduced to relieve the pressure of the elastic tube upon the inner surface of the cylinder, (see Fig. 2), for permitting descent of the press-head in the cylinder to follow the release of pressure in said cylinder.

When the elastic tube is in compressed relation, it is securely held in lateral or radial directions between the outer cylindrical surface formed by the bottom of the outer annular rabbet in the press-head and the inner cylindrical surface of the cylinder, and between the top and bottom shoulders on the flanges of the sections of the press-head, and such holding relation is maintained when the sections of the presshead are separated, for securely holding the elastic tube in position, forming close joints between the respective ends of said tube and the respective sections of the press-head, and causing direct end-pressure by the flanges of said sections upon the ends of the elastic tube, to prevent shifting between. said ends and said flanges, and to cause uniform lateral or radial spread of the body of the elastic tube throughout its length.

The cover may then be again opened for recharging the casing with additional plas tic material for repetition of the operation.

The elastic tube is preferably an integral structure and made of such composition, for instance with a rubber base, that the liquids in the meat dough or sausage filling and the cleaning operations will not crack or harden the same, experience having demonstrated that with my improved construction the. elastic tube retains its life and is effective in operation for a very extended period of time.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters'Patent, is:

A press-head comprising an upper section and a lower section having cylindrical outer peripheries and relative movements in. axial directionsbetween them, one of said sections having an outer cylindrical rabbet forming an inner cylindrical Wall, the other of said sections having a cylindrical. flange received in said cylindrical rabbet about one end of said inner cylindrical Wall, the end Wall of said rabbet and the end of said flange each having an'cylindrical lip at its outer periphery, said cylindricallip's projecting toward each other and forming cylindrical= grooves Within the same, and a cylindrical elastic tube, the respective ends of Which areprovided Withoppositely ex tending cylindrical lips at their inner edge: forming cylindrical grooves outside said lips said lips on said sections and tube re- 7 spectively malntalned 1n sa1d grooves in said tube and sections respectively, the bottube in lines parallel with the axis of said press-head upon approach between said sections to compress said cylindrical elastic tube to increase its thickness and outside diameter, and to relieve said pressures and decrease the thickness and outside (liill'l'lOiQl oi": said elastic tube upon separation between said sections While maintaining the diameter of the inner periphery of said tube 7 constant.

' In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

OSCAR o. SCHMIDT.

In presence of DELMA VVERNsING, PAUL V. CONNOLLY. 4 

